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French PM to back Greek reform effort

French Prime Minister Manuel Valls is due in Athens Thursday for a two-day visit aimed at underlining his country’s support for Greece’s efforts to enforce economic reforms and tackle Europe’s migration crisis.

Valls, who is to be accompanied by French Finance Minister Michel Sapin and State Minister for European Affairs Harlem Desir, is to meet Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and President Prokopis Pavlopoulos.

French sources said Valls is keen to offer French know-how to help with reforms and to stress support for Greece staying in the eurozone. Greek government sources said Valls’s trip, which follows a visit by Russian President Vladimir Putin, and comes before Tsipras heads to China, highlights Greek efforts to forge a multifaceted foreign policy.